HelpfulGardener.com

What causes tomatoes to begin turning before they reach their normal size? Summer heat, watering amount, or do some just do that? Our plants have a good number of green ones, but a better boy is turning red now and it's only a little larger than a golf ball.

Inconsistent watering or a stressed plant is the usual reason for small tomatoes ripening early.

Do they have Blossom End Rot? That can make them hurry it up, too.

A few plants have had BER, but not many. I'm going to start watering more often during hot, dry weather from now on. Just been afraid to over do it because I feared blight (hot and moist soil). My plants are on rows so they wouldn't ever sit in water, plus garden is on top of a hill.

Sometimes it's sucking insects that triggers them.

It's another matter altogether if they are in containers (too small), but you said raised rows.

I have noticed the suckers are out and they are leaving their marks....

If you can manage, stop by one of the big box stores (or look online for cheap deals) and pick up some drip hoses. I prefer them to watering with a nozzle or sprayer because they prevent splash up of soil onto the plants, which is a more notorious cause of fungal diseases. Watering in and of itself doesn't cause blight.

You can make your own drip hose out of an old lawn hose. Just use a nail to make holes in it. Make small holes, unless your water pressure is really good or you won't get a lot of water out at the far end. Don't make too many holes too close. and use an antisiphon device ( drip irrigation part) to protect your water supply. Use a hose cap or clamp to seal the other end.